In the midst of a pandemic, the African Union puts culture in the spotlight
The headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
RFI / Miguel Martins
Text by: Aurore Lartigue Follow
9 min
The 34th African Union summit, which is being held this weekend in Addis Ababa, has chosen culture and heritage as the general theme.
What arouse a certain perplexity in the African cultural world, which often feels neglected.
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“Arts, culture and heritage: a lever to build the Africa we want.
"In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and after" Silencing the Guns "in 2020, the main theme chosen for the annual summit of heads of state and government which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in the Ethiopian capital is surprising.
Of course the health response to the coronavirus and the various ongoing conflicts should feature prominently on the agenda, but the chairman of the African Union Commission wanted to focus on what he considers, as he Said it during the 38th session of the institution's Executive Board this week, as the "
main marker of identity
": culture.
Better, the AU explains in a press release that cultural heritage will be "
for the next twelve months at the center of discussions in most events organized by the AU
".
"Slogans are not enough"
An announcement that leaves Marie-Cécile Zinsou dubious.
The art historian, who founded the Zinsou Foundation sixteen years ago in order to promote access to contemporary art in Benin, wonders about the real scope of this theme, while “
the AU has no visible action
”in this area, she said.
As for the Congolese writer Boniface Mongo-Mboussa, he is outright enraged.
For the author of
Désir d'Afrique,
“
these are words that ring hollow
.
If they were working for culture, it would have been known since time!
As long as States do not have a cultural policy, I do not see why the African Union, which is made up of the heads of state of the continent, would have one!
"
In its press release, however, the institution recalls that culture has been a priority for the AU since its birth, since the charter of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.
Senegalese economist and writer Felwine Sarr wants to be more optimistic.
"
These questions are always relegated to the background behind economic and geopolitical questions.
While being aware of the limits of the great administrative machine that is the African Union, I think we should welcome the fact that they found that culture and heritage were subjects serious enough to be on the summit's program. .
And if people can contribute so that they have the right ideas, the right content, that they have an interesting vision, it must be done,
”he said.
On the issue of heritage, the co-author of
Restoring African Heritage
is pleased with
the progress of the process
, however modest: “
There are very small steps with the restitutions announced in Benin, Senegal and Madagascar.
Something is moving, seven countries have made official demands for renditions and the debate has spread to Europe, Africa and as far as Asia
.
"
"The land is screaming everywhere"
Among the cultural figures interviewed, many castigate an “
umpteenth debate around culture, a lever for development in Africa
” doomed to remain ineffective.
“
We know that there is a need for culture to allow Africa to be reconciled with itself and with others and to participate in the running of the world.
The artists say so, but they are not heard,
”explains the director of
the Récréatrales festival
in Ouagadougou, which was held in October.
“
A breath of fresh air
” in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Aristide Tarnagda nevertheless recounts the efforts made at each edition to prevent the festival from disappearing due to lack of funding.
“
We are told that there are no means, the priority is always elsewhere.
Yet the festival does an enormous job with young people.
It gives them meaning, and we need a youth who is proud, who can project themselves
", underlines the director for whom"
slogans are no longer enough: now it is time to put in place concrete mechanisms to support the artistic community.
In other words, subsidies, as elsewhere, to be able to guarantee the existence of events or cultural places which have been struggling to survive for years.
"
“
The ground is screaming everywhere
,” adds Koyo Kouah.
The executive director of the most important museum of contemporary African art, the
Zeitz MOCAA
in Cape Town, South Africa, yet one of the most culturally dynamic countries on the continent, places no hope in the African Union initiative.
Our countries have great difficulty in grasping the scale of the artistic and intellectual contribution, even if there is a lot here and there, in South Africa of course, but also in Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Kenya, in Egypt or of course in Nigeria.
"
Money, the sinews of war in culture as elsewhere, often comes from outside, regrets the actors of the sector: from the European Union or the French institutes or Goethe.
“
It's very good, but we cannot entrust our share of dreams and imagination to others,
laments Aristide Tarnagda.
It's dangerous.
"
An open letter to move from words to deeds
The Chadian writer Nocky Djedanoum preferred to take the African Union at its word, seizing the opportunity to post on Facebook an
“open letter”
to African leaders in which he welcomes the AU has taken up the theme of culture, “
Poor relation of government priorities
”.
Considering that the Pan-African organization has an important role to play in the support of culture, by sensitizing African States to what culture can bring to economic Africa, he urges it to "
have the audacity to pass words to deeds
”.
By starting in particular by giving a place in its organization chart to the culture "
drowned in the department of social affairs
" in the field of health, work, migration, crime prevention, etc.
Even today, in the texts, culture seems to have a good place in
Agenda 2063
, which sets the strategic orientations for the future of the AU, notes Nocky Djedanoum in his publication.
Aspiration 5 promotes “
an Africa with a strong cultural identity, a common heritage, shared values and ethics.
"With as a flagship project,"
a large museum of Africa
"which should see the light of day in 2023 in Algiers.
"
A beautiful showcase for Africa, which will show the diversity of our heritage,"
says the writer.
Except that Africa is 54 countries, he
recalls.
And if we have a large museum in Algeria, but in Chad, at home, or in Zimbabwe, we don't have a museum worthy of the name, how do we do it?
"
The president of Fest'Africa Toumaï also appeals to the "
wealthy and philanthropists of Africa
", such as the Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, whom he would like to interest in culture.
“
It's been more than 30 years since I created the NGO
Linga Tere
and that I work to train young artists in the Central African Republic,
explains the director Vincent Mambachaka, who joined this open letter.
But the observation is that when we talk about culture in Africa, apart from a few countries, politicians only see the totally traditional, folkloric aspect and the role of culture as a factor of emancipation or as an economic sector. is not taken into account.
This is why there is often no real cultural policy.
However, if we put more resources into it, culture can become a sector that provides jobs for young people and participate in developing other sectors, such as tourism for example.
But for that, we have to support artists and structure the sector: with training places, administrators, managers of cultural places, technicians, the whole ecosystem around culture.
"
Malian singer Rokia Traoré, who also relayed this open letter, believes that there is an urgent need to act: “
We are aware of all the difficulties but it is time that culture is no longer seen, not even as a luxury, but like madness, because it is a huge mistake,
”she insists.
For the songwriter behind the Fondation Passerelle, which helps young musical and artistic creation in Mali, "
we have invested personally, but we cannot replace States
".
For her, in the absence of a structured music industry on the continent, a whole culture is threatened.
After years spent interacting with artists across the continent, supporting each other, the singer thinks that the time has come to "
move up a gear to go towards something more official
" ... S ' unite to try to influence the debate.
And why not on the occasion of this year placed under the sign of culture?
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